I’m a California-based car enthusiast. I’ve always kept my BMW in top shape. So when I fired up my car on a hot summer’s day last week, I was dismayed when my driver screen lit up like a Christmas tree right in the middle of summer, with the anti-lock braking (ABS) light and DSC light and several malfunction messages on iDrive.
The car drove fine, so I decided to drive it to work. I kept thinking how much this would cost to fix at the dealer. The next day, I went to start my car, and the battery was dead. The dash lights were on, but I could only hear a click. I went to Autozone, picked up a replacement battery, and replaced my car battery. Once I started the engine, I was greeted with the ABS and DSC lights, but now the airbag light was also on. All I knew at this point was that I was up for an expensive trip to the dealership.
As I do my own maintenance myself, I wondered if I could find a fix myself, even though, at first, I thought that was a ridiculous idea. Nevertheless, I began searching for a diagnostic tool on the internet. That’s when I ran across the YOUCANIC Full System Scanner and read many great reviews online. The reviews were positive, and I liked that you didn’t have to pay a subscription. It was also a US company based in Baltimore. I also found many how-to videos, even on the YOUCANIC website.
When the YOUCANIC scanner arrived, I was excited but also a little apprehensive at first. I plugged it into my BMW and followed the instructions, which were actually really easy. First, I had to clear the airbag light. I tapped the touchscreen and navigated through several menus, went to Control Units, SRS Control Unit, hit CLEAR CODES, and the airbag light cleared. The airbag code was a stored code for low battery voltage. So, that was too easy to resolve since I had already replaced the car battery. It was a small victory, but it built confidence for the next step.
Next was the ABS and tracking control light. The YOUCANIC scanner diagnosed the problem with an open circuit for the ABS wheel speed sensor on the rear right wheel. I could also go to Live Data under ABS, and I could see the speeds from each sensor, and I could see the right rear sensor reading 0 mph even when I was driving the car while the rest would read actual speed. Armed with that information, I ordered the part on Rock Auto for under $100 and got to work. In a couple of hours, I had the old sensor out and the new one in—and then I used the scanner again to clear all the ABS codes, which at this point showed as STORED codes.
I felt like a master mechanic, and I couldn’t believe I had fixed the airbag and ABS codes for less than $100, not including the scanner’s price. But the car gets driven in the blazing heat of California, and the cooling of its A/C is weak. As expected from the scanner, I learned it can also diagnose the A/C system. I may attack that problem next. After all, this little gadget saved me several hundred dollars. I would only have been out of the dealership, spending at least $800 on these two issues, yet I could fix them myself for under $600. Plus, now I have the YOUCANIC scanner, a great diagnostic scan tool that will save me money again in the future.
YOUCANIC’s Full System Scanner turned what would’ve been an expensive, frustrating trip to the dealership into a DIY project. Its broad coverage, easy-to-use interface, and helpful customer service were critical.
Today, cruising my BMW down the highways of the Golden State with a functioning airbag system and ABS, I can’t help but think a bit more fondly of this little but powerful tool that stays in my trunk all the time. A couple of my friends, who bought it after they kept borrowing mine, love the YOUCANIC scanner as well. Next up: troubleshooting the A/C
